(June 19, 2013 at 11:42 am)John V Wrote: If you're retracting the first line, then my response is that you haven't supported your assertion that "Morality is a function of how we treat our fellow sentient beings."
That's my take on morality from a secular point of view. We have no moral obligation towards rocks or amoebas. Our obligations are to one another as thinking, feeling, self-aware beings. Our actions impact the happiness and well being of others. You can't make rocks or amoebas happy nor to they feel pain. If we fail to act with integrity or violate the rights of other sentient beings, we cause them pain. What we call "morality" from a secular perspective relates to our obligations toward each other as fellow sentient beings.
If you wish to go into greater detail, we can utilize the academic philosophies on morality using a variety of approaches, some of which I have listed in previous posts on this thread to Frodo (Bentham's Utliltarian Principles, Rawls' Veil of Ignorance, etc.). But the bottom line is the ones I'm familiar with all speak of issues of social justice, the relief of one another's pain and the promotion of our happiness in this life.
This is the body of point #1, that secular morality focuses on what's really important. Religious-based morality gets side-tracked on victimless "sins" or useless "virtues" and even promotes their importance over what really matters in our discussions on morality.
The conclusion of point #1 is that since a secular understand of morality is focused and a religious based understanding of morality is distracted, secular morality is superior.
Do you disagree? If so, how do you define morality? Let's talk about it and see which definition makes more sense.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist